#Maine: #HoultonME rally against #Trump administration was one of 16 in Maine

by Kathleen Phalen Tomaselli, March 3, 2025

HOULTON, Maine — "Fifty-two people stood together in the rain on Saturday afternoon in downtown Houlton, wearing black armbands and carrying signs calling for the restoration of the nation.

"The rally was one of more than a dozen around the state on Saturday against the new administration of President Donald #Trump. Co-organizer Marilyn Roper said it was meant to draw attention to what demonstrators see as the recent loss of so many of the nation’s rights and the dismantling of government agencies. They also urged support for #Ukraine in its war against #Russia.

"Also over the weekend, demonstrators gathered at the State House in Augusta to protest the Maine Principal’s Association’s rules allowing transgender student athletes to participate in sports divisions that align with their actual gender, which have sparked the ongoing threats by the Trump administration to cut Maine’s federal funding.

"As the group of Houlton-area residents stood in silence displaying messages of restoration, passing drivers honked in solidarity. They specifically called for the restoration of law and order, decency, democracy, and the U.S. Agency for International Development [#USAID], among other things.

"During one stretch of time, the only vocal opposition came from a man driving a black pick-up truck, who yelled his disapproval out the window as he drove by.

"Roper is part of a statewide peace and justice group that co-organized the March 1 rallies in 16 communities, with one each in every Maine county. Some of the other demonstrations were in #BangorME, #SkowheganME, #CalaisME, #Damariscotta and #PortlandME.

"Several participating in the Houlton rally expressed their disgust and shame regarding Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance’s berating of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office on Friday.

"Others bemoaned what they see as so many losses since the January inauguration.

"Houlton resident Bertrand Laurence said that even people who choose to not be involved are making a political statement.

"A core group of local organizers has been meeting regularly over the years to plan this and other activities related to issues of #SocialJustice and democracy.

"Following Saturday’s one-hour rally, organizers met at the #UnitarianUniversalist Church to plan future actions, including an upcoming postcard mailing campaign to the White House, said Roper.

"The postcards, slated for a March 15 mailing, will be addressed directly to Trump as a public expression of opposition to his behaviors and policies.

"'May the rallies in Maine and across the country bring about some halt in the destruction of our democracy and restoration of so much lost,' Roper said."

Source:
https://thecounty.me/2025/03/03/county-politics/houlton-rally-against-trump-administration-was-one-of-16-in-maine/
#MaineProtest #BadDOGE #USPol #MainePol #MaineProtests #Resist #ResistFascism #ResistDOGE #SixteenCounties

#Maine: #WatervilleME protesters urge passersby to ‘#DumpTrump’

More than 50 people gathered Thursday morning on the sidewalk in downtown Waterville to protest President #Trump and #ElonMusk.

by Amy Calder, February 27, 2025

WATERVILLE — "More than 50 people stood in a snowstorm downtown Thursday, protesting President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s efforts to dismantle government programs and cut the federal workforce.

"The 'Dump Trump' rally was organized by #ElizabethLeonard, an author, historian, and professor emeritus of history at #ColbyCollege, who on Feb. 5 led a rally at a #Tesla charging station less than a mile away.

"News of that protest went viral, prompting dozens of similar protests across the country at Telsa dealerships and charging stations. A Morning Sentinel story about that rally was featured on at least one national television show and in the Boston Globe as part of a subsequent interview with Leonard.

"She said she never thought the Tesla event would have such an impact.
'It’s just proof of the fact that a small group of people can make a huge difference, or you could say, where a butterfly flaps its wings, a breeze goes around the world,' Leonard, 68, said. 'We didn’t expect so many people to pay attention.'

"It was a chilly 29 degrees on Main Street Thursday as motorists beeped their horns in support of the protesters. Someone in a white car yelled 'Go home!' to the group.

"Some protesters held trash bags with signs attached that read 'Dump Trump.' Leonard said she agrees with scholars who say the world is re-living history as it witnesses #fascists rise to power and destroy #democratic governments.

"'This is all how it happens,' she said."

[...]

"Linda Woods, 73, and Beth Schiller, 68, both of Waterville, protested at the Tesla charging station rally Feb. 5 and were on the street again Thursday. They praised Leonard for starting the #TeslaProtest, which was widely mimicked.

"'I’m just sad that we have to do this,' Woods said. 'I’m tired of standing in the cold.'

"Schiller said she is horrified that people have been #brainwashed into believing the government is 'bad.'

"'They’re going to miss all the good things that government does for all of us when it’s been burned to the ground from #Project2025,' she said, referring to a conservative plan for restructuring government.

"Leonard said she is trying to contact #FederalWorkers in Maine who have been fired from jobs in areas such as the Transportation Safety Administration, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and Social Security Administration to bring them together and let them talk and know they are supported. Ruining people’s lives in that way is unacceptable, Leonard said.

"'They’ll all be at the #SoupKitchen, but there won’t be any money for that because the #Medicaid is gone,' she said."

Read more:
https://www.centralmaine.com/2025/02/27/waterville-protesters-urge-passersby-to-dump-trump/

Archived version:
https://archive.md/tR9RY
#MaineProtest #BadDOGE #USPol #MainePol #MaineProtests #Resist #ResistFascism #ResistDOGE

TUESDAY! #Maine!

Maine child care workers to strike Tuesday over proposed cuts to state stipend

At least 200 child care workers are planning to leave work and head to #AugustaME to protest proposed cuts to a stipend program they say has been critical to stabilizing the industry.

by Riley Board, March 3, 2025

"Child care workers in Maine are planning to strike Tuesday morning to show their opposition to proposed budget cuts targeting a state stipend program that day care operators say has allowed the industry to stabilize.

"As of Monday afternoon, as many as 200 early childhood education workers were planning to participate, and at least 15 child care centers from Saco to Oxford said they would close for at least part of the day. The workers will gather in the State House rotunda at 8:30 a.m.

"The stipend was created in 2021 and provided an extra $200 a month to all child care workers. It has grown since then into a tiered system that provides between $240 and $540 a month based on education and experience. Day care operators say it has allowed them to raise starting wages for teachers and work toward full staffing.

"Gov. Janet Mills proposed cutting that program in half in her biennial budget this year after warning last year that expansions couldn’t be sustained. She has proposed returning to the 2022 level of funding, as well as eliminating a newer $2.5 million program that covers child care tuition for people who work in the industry.

"The Legislature’s Appropriations and Finance Committee last week heard and read testimony overwhelmingly in opposition to the cuts. The Health and Human Services Committee is set to vote on them Wednesday.

[...]

"Day care centers in Portland, Gorham, Brunswick, Scarborough, Saco, Cape Elizabeth and Oxford all plan to close for at least part of the day for the strike, Marden said.

"Hannah Marshal, program director for Windham-Raymond School Age Child Care in Windham, said the center won’t open until the afternoon so that 11 staff members can travel to Augusta and participate in the rally."

Read more:
https://www.pressherald.com/2025/03/03/child-care-workers-plan-to-strike-tuesday-over-cuts-to-state-stipend/

Archived version:
https://archive.md/zQ8A3
#MaineProtest #ChildcareWorkers #Strike #March4